Installing Schrick 284/276.. Adj. cam gears needed?

[Jeff J.]

I'm going to be installing the 284/276 cams soon but need advice on dialing them in.. The motor is out of the car and I'm familiar with the procedure for the stock cams, but what will be different with the Schricks? What is the needed for using adjustable cam gears versus the stock cam gears? Any more info on the procedure installing them would be very helpful and much appreciated! I plan to tackle this myself...

Are there any other places that sell good adjustable cam gears except Turner?

Thanks!

[Track man's M3]

oh what fun you will have!

Well where to start.

You can get an adjustable cam gear from BMW for about $125 each. It is a slotted gear that works fine! DO NOT BUY THE TURNER gears as they are a nightmare to install because of the hardware they use to secure the two halves. NO room to get an allen wrench in the socket cap because they stick out right into the front of the cam tray.

YOu can ssemble the engine w/ the stcok gears and check the lift spec w/ a dial indicator and degree wheel and see where the stock gears land. Most guys have found the stcok gears to be VERY close to spec.

I do not have adjustable gears in mine and the engine runs very nicely. NOt perfect but nicely.

Take your sweet time on this. Get a good degree wheel for the project. The bigger the diameter the better as accuracy will increae w/ size.

hand turn the engine several times to be sure there is no interference w/ pistons.

I would really recommend you take a pic of the engine at TDC #1 showing the relationship of the cam gears to the bearing cap indicators. Also mark the cam gear w/ permanent marker like a shrpie so you know exactly where the gear should be lined up when you mount it on the Schricks.

BOL Eric

[WillM3]

What, now I have to do a roll bar and cams? Sheesh!
I'll never save up for that paint job.
Sounds cool Jeff. Keep us posted on how it comes along.
Will

[John]

FWIW, Schrick themselves says adjustable cam
gears are not absolutely necessary. But, if you
are already timing them with dial guages, then
another $100 per gear isnt too bad and then you can
do it 100%.

Like trackman says, these gears are MORE than fine.
This is what BMW raced with! I use the same ones on my
engine with motorsport race cams. You will note though,
that with slotted gears, there is no centering pin anymore
(would defeat the purpose).

If you time this way, there is no sense in making marks
on the gears really, other than give you a reference. From there,
just get into the habit of always timing
with dial guages and you will not go wrong. Besides turning the
engine thru a few times, you can measure your clearance on the
first intall, there are a couple of methods. with 284/276
and stock or JE, wiseco pistons you will probably be in the
3 mm area. You can also get a hold of a good endo-scope
(ask your doctor friends) and look inside while turning over
the crank. You will be interested in just after TDC on the intake
and just before TDC on the exhaust. The piston dwells within
1 mm of TDC for about +/- 11 crank deg. This is where you
have to watch for the cam opening quicker than the piston
is accelerating/decelerating and check for the closest point.

John

[Jeff J.]

Thanks so much guys for the info. I have a degree wheel I plan to use if all goes well.

Where can I get the BMW motorsport adjustable cam gears? Does anyone maybe have the part numbers?

Also, where can I find Schricks specs for the 284/276 cams? Once #1 is at TDC do I rotate the intake and exhaust cams using the degree wheel to specified angles? Will there be any valve to piston clearance problems using these cams with larger Evo3 valves and stock pistons? I might have access to a endo-scope but I wont have a way to measure to see if the clearance is less than 1mm w/ the larger valves..

Thanks again for the help!

Will, You'd had best watch out at the next autox! hehe
Mark W. will probably bump me up another class again.. :grr:
Are you going June 14th?

[WillM3]

I'd say you've already got me for now. I'm working on getting that Safety Devices roll-bar/cage right now. I found a guy selling one from his race car so its a good deal. That, and I'm getting new street tires today. I tried to get some more Falkens because I corded that last set at the auto-x last month, but apparently they're not making them in my size anymore, which I thought was nice. So I settled for some Kumho Ecsta MXs which I've heard good things about. I get them today, so I'll see how they do in the rain we're having.
I'll be there the 14th. I'm also trying to get into a PCA DE at TWS the weekend before that. There are still spots for that DE, you should come if you can. Hopefully I can get the cage and strut bar on before that. We'll see.
And now I find out you're doing cams. Where did you get them?
I think I want to do something like that next. I can stay in class E for auto-x even with the cage and cams, hee hee.
Right now I'm still really in D, but I planned these mods for this year so I've been running (and losing) in E.
Good luck with the cams,
Will

[John]

the part number for both E and A is 1131 1 311 781.
its not in the ETK, so dont bother. but BMW dealer
can get it for you if you tell them it is a special
order motorsport part.

they are really no big deal to duplicate...you can
slot your own. but if not comfortable with that, buy
them new.

the shrick specs are in the schrick catalogue as far
as I can remember. go to the schrick site and download
their pdf catalogue. they are also on Gustave Stroes site
somewhere.

if you use the big valves with stock pistons you could
check to make sure the diameter of the relief is greater
than the valve diameter. Ive never checked that on stock
pistons. with the schrick cams you should not have to
cut the reliefs any deeper. there is enough clearance if
you have the cams properly timed. remember this is a stock upgrade
for street cars. its still fairly plug and play.
still, always rotate the engine thru and good to measure the
clearance. you should not take something for granted. if something
can go wrong it usually will...

if you start out by pointing the cams (45 deg. toward each other
on each cam) on the 1. cyl, then you will be measuring
at 4. cyl. or vice versa. make sure the dial guage pointer
is parallel to the valve stem axis and that it touches the
tappet wall and nowhere interference with the cam lobe.
if the tappet rocks in the seat, you may see the guage
go negative first some then positive, no big deal. if
you timed the cam by setting max. lift instead of at TDC,
then valve clearance and tappet rock would not effect your
measurement. IIRC, the shricks are timed 106 deg. (but check
this again) for maximum lift. now measure for the same lift
at +/- 5 CR deg. until you get to the exact max. lift point.
this is done because the valve dwells at max lift, and makes
the measurement imprecise. same idea as when measuring TDC
for a piston.

John

[HANDBLT]

John do you have any experience with advancing or retarding these cams on a 2.3l?

T

[Magnus]

You can send yours out ,

EXHAUST CAM GEAR MODIFICATION Applied to your own cam gear, which can be returned the next day air for minimum down time. Cam gear U.S. M3, M5, M6 - $189

Frank Fahey Motorsports 858-693-1871
http://www.frankfaheymotorsports.com...oducts&UID=105

[Jeff J.]

Does anyone know where I can get a Dial Indicator? I've looked just about everywhere but cant find one availabe online for a reasonable price. I have a degree wheel. Thanks

[HANDBLT]

See if you have a Grainger nearby they actually had the indicator and magnetic base in stock here where I live.

T